Four Heroes of Qingcheng? Five Good-for-Nothings

The Junior Brother Yu who called Yu Canghai Father was clearly Yu Canghai's son, Yu Renyan.

The other one surnamed Yu should have been Yu Renhao, one of the Four Heroes of Qingcheng.

Hou Renying, Hong Renxiong, Yu Renhao, and Luo Renjie were Qingcheng Sect's most outstanding disciples.

Their names also happened to contain the characters for heroes and great men, so people of the martial world called them the Four Heroes of Qingcheng.

"They go on about the Fuwei Escort Agency and that Bixie Sword Manual that supposedly defeated both the righteous and criminal factions. I think the entire Fuwei Escort Agency is nothing but a pack of useless drunkards. How could they even be worthy of carrying shoes for our Qingcheng Sect?"

"Junior Brother is right. Lin Zhennan doesn't need Master to deal with him. He wouldn't last more than a few moves against us Four Heroes of Qingcheng."

"Still, those idiots really are rich. In my opinion, my father shouldn't have refused their gifts before. This time, damn, they sent several chests of gold and silver."

Although Yu Renyan was Yu Canghai's son, he rarely had the chance to see so much money with his own eyes.

Hou Renying chimed in as well.

"It's a pity Master is still too cautious. He should have simply picked off the escort agencies in the Two Lakes. Those two branch agencies must have quite a bit of wealth too."

Luo Renjie said, "Money is a small matter. We should accomplish our goal first. I heard that the Fuwei Escort Agency also sent quite a lot of gold and silver to Mount Hua Sect. Lin Zhennan certainly knows how to make friends."

Yu Renyan snorted coldly.

"So what if he makes friends? Who can save him now? What's so great about Mount Hua Sect? That Gentleman Sword, Yue Buqun, has quite the reputation, but I've never seen any real ability from him. He only has a handful of disciples under him. How could they compare to our Qingcheng Sect, whose disciples and talents emerge in endless numbers and whose name resounds throughout the martial world?"

Listening from the side, Ji Boying set his chopsticks on the table and laughed soundlessly.

"Mount Hua Sect may not have many people these past few years, but it isn't something just anyone can disparage, is it?"

The moment Ji Boying spoke, all five slapped the table and shouted.

"Whose bastard son is this, daring to butt into our conversation?"

Who else could it be? When they turned their heads, they naturally saw the tall and powerfully built Ji Boying. Even sitting there, Ji Boying was a full head taller than all five of them.

Yu Renyan in particular had to tilt his head up to look at Ji Boying, even though they were both seated.

His father, Yu Canghai, was a short man, so naturally he was short as well. Ji Boying was much taller than ordinary people, making him appear even more imposing beside this short fellow.

"I heard Qingcheng Sect's leader, Yu Canghai, is a short man. I didn't believe it at first, but after seeing his disciples, I do now. Hahaha!"

Ji Boying casually looked at the five before him and laughed, remaining seated without moving.

The five Qingcheng Sect disciples were enraged. The thing Qingcheng Sect disciples could least bear to hear was that Yu Canghai was short.

Yu Renyan was so furious that he was about to rise and curse him out.

But Hou Renying was older and somewhat more cautious.

He saw Ji Boying sitting there, tall and extraordinary in bearing, with a bamboo hat lightly placed on the table and a sword resting beside his right hand.

Facing the five of them alone, he looked completely composed, without the slightest trace of nervousness.

Seeing his manner, Hou Renying felt that this man had something to rely on, so he naturally did not dare act rashly.

"Does this friend have ties to Mount Hua Sect? My brothers were indeed speaking nonsense after drinking just now, and we had no intention of disrespecting Mount Hua Sect. We merely felt some regret when speaking of Mount Hua Sect. Its prestige has indeed declined somewhat in recent years, and it truly has fewer disciples."

Hou Renying knew how to speak, but Yu Renyan did not.

"Bastard, Senior Brother is right. Mount Hua Sect is one of the Five Great Mountains Sword Sects in name only. Its reputation is great, but how many people does it have? Our Qingcheng Sect not only has countless disciples, but also the renowned Four Heroes of Qingcheng. Who does Mount Hua Sect have that can compare? It only relies on that old Yue to hold things up. Let's see how many more years he can keep it up."

"Hahahahaha..."

Ji Boying could not help throwing back his head and laughing.

It was simply too ridiculous.

Ridiculous, though there was also a touch of pity in it. Mount Hua Sect's reputation had indeed diminished considerably.

But it was not something Qingcheng Sect could simply trample on.

"I thought my Senior Disciple Brother was worthless. But now that I think about it, it isn't that he's worthless—the entire martial world is rather worthless. Even if the five of you joined forces, you might not be able to defeat my Senior Disciple Brother, yet you have some title like bears and boars in the martial world."

Ji Boying shook his head disdainfully.

"I don't know whether everyone is simply flattering one another or whether there truly is no talent left. Come to think of it, the martial world really does seem to lack any formidable rising stars. Yet your Four Beasts of Qingcheng can actually earn a name for yourselves."

Ji Boying's attitude was utterly contemptuous. Even Hou Renying could not keep his anger from rising.

"Bastard, I'll teach you a lesson!"

Yu Renyan and Luo Renjie charged forward in fury.

Ji Boying remained seated, not moving in the slightest, merely smiling faintly.

With his right hand resting on the table, he lightly flicked his index and middle fingers forward.

Two chopsticks lying on the table shot out with a sharp whoosh.

They were swift and fierce. Everyone only saw a blur before their eyes and had no time to react as the two oil-stained chopsticks struck the vital points on Yu Renyan and Luo Renjie's chests.

The two only let out muffled grunts. Half their bodies went numb, pain tightened in their chests, and they collapsed limply to the ground, unable to move.

The remaining three were horrified. They hurriedly leaped up from their seats, drew their swords, and pointed them at Ji Boying.

"Which path is this friend from? Why not tell us your name? Our brothers had no intention of offending you. We hope that, for the sake of our Master, you can turn hostility into peace..."

"Heh..." Ji Boying laughed. "I am precisely one of those worthless disciples of Mount Hua Sect whom you look down upon. Now that I think about it, it isn't that the martial world lacks talent. It's merely that the disciples of those famous sects stay obediently in the mountains to train and rarely come down to show themselves. When there are no tigers in the mountains, monkeys proclaim themselves kings. That is how things like bears and boars came to be called heroes and great men."

"My Senior Disciple Brother is supposedly so worthless, yet his martial arts are still far superior to yours. If you can be called heroes and great men, then wouldn't he qualify as the Heavenly King Old Man?"

"As for turning hostility into peace, there's no need for that. Your Master, that short Yu, has no standing before me, much less when I came specifically to use him as a stepping stone!"

As Ji Boying spoke, his gaze turned cold.

His right hand moved as if plucking strings. Three fingers swept across a dish, sending three peanuts flying out.

Hou Renying and the other two had no time to react. They could only hold their swords horizontally before their chests.

Ji Boying had deliberately not changed the peanuts' trajectories.

All five attacks had been aimed at their chests.

The three seemingly weightless peanuts flashed through the air and struck their swords.

All three felt sharp pain in the webs between their thumbs and forefingers. Their swords were jolted from their hands, flew backward, and slammed into their chests, knocking all three to the ground.